I am new to this site, but I wanted to exhaust all my options. We have been coping with our 3year old Chow, BooBerry's illness for a while. She has always had problems with her eyes and a defect in her tail which I found suspect (genetic problems due to inbreeding or just unlucky for her and us). However, it started with severe vomiting which we got under control 3 or 4 times, but this last time we have not been able to pull her out of it. It started in March with vomiting and a visit to the emergency vet. 2700$ later she was a bit better, but still ill. She had lost over 10lbs and we switched to several different foods to try to find one that worked. On x-ray she had a dilated, megaesophagus and inflammation of her stomach. Ultrasound confirmed these findings. She also had a severe pneumonia. We treated the pneumonia and GI disorders and she seemed to get better for a few weeks, then it was back. On follow up her pneumonia resolved and the Megaesophagus resolved.

After a few weeks the vomiting started up again. The only food she was able to keep down was boiled chicken and rice mixed with yogurt. We took her back to a specialist who did an Endoscopy on her. The results showed allergic inflammatory changes and inflammatory bowel disease along with two areas of dilation in her esophagus and a diverticulum in the esophagus. She was placed on Prednisone for the inflammation and allergic responses, Metoclopromide for anti-nausea and increased motility, Omeperazole for acid reduction and a probiotic to reflorinate her bowels. They also recommend she eats elevated and stays in that position for 15 minutes after eating. That was a month ago...

We are now at the tipping point. Boo has lost more weight and is starting to lose her energy. She regurgitates often and is still vomiting 5-10 times a day. We recently tried to switch her to boiled beef with the rice and yogurt with no success. (I thought maybe she might not be doing well with the chicken since she vomits it up whole hours after she has eaten it) Dog food is not an option because any of the specialty foods we try comes up faster than anything else!

I am down to this... does anyone have any suggestions? Our baby is a bag of bones and fading fast... Tonight she'll get a bath so we can go get a family photo with her before she is gone. I fear that the last trip to the vet is soon, 2-3 weeks at best.

Wish I could help you. I was just told on Friday that I should put my dog down, so I know what you are going through. I myself am taking my boy to another vet for a consultation and second opinion before I make another, possibly final decision.

Our dog Murphy was having major health problems and it was hard to get an accurate diagnosis. I love our vet but decided to try a holistic vet (my vet agreed to this and we actually saw them both). It was remarkable...not only did Murphy improve but she lived another two years. She was about 11 at the time this all started and had several good years she wouldn't have had. We cooked her meals and the holistic vet had her on a very strict food diet.I hope and pray you get some answers...